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ComEd hosted its second annual Supplier Diversity Awards recognizing diverse suppliers for exceptional performance in areas ranging from innovation and environmental stewardship to overall growth and performance. A total of 76 companies competed for the diverse supplier awards presented today at a ceremony at the Palmer House Hilton Chicago.

The awards acknowledge minority-, veteran- and women-owned suppliers for their increasingly important role in the company’s efforts to modernize its energy delivery system, which provides safe and reliable electricity to nearly 4 million customers in northern Illinois.

 In 2016, ComEd achieved an all-time high of $777 million in total diverse spend, representing 33 percent of total supply spend, and $600 million more than in 2011. In the past six years, ComEd’s total diversity certified supplier expenditure reached $2.6 billion, a 339-percent increase, providing new opportunities for African American, Hispanic, Native American, veteran and women-owned enterprises. In 2016, ComEd added 132 diverse suppliers, a 26-percent increase, for a total of 516 certified-diverse suppliers.

“At ComEd, diversity and inclusion is part of our value system and culture and we are committed to not only contracting with diverse suppliers, but we also work to mentor and help them be successful,” said Anne Pramaggiore, president and CEO, ComEd. “We are excited to recognize truly outstanding performers whose unique insights, approaches and success stories hold important lessons for us all.”

The 2017 ComEd Supplier Diversity Award winners:

Overall Performance for Construction and Material Services: MZI Group, Inc., Chicago, Ill., a specialist in electrical and mechanical construction and energy infrastructure.

Overall Performance for Professional Services: PACO Collective, Chicago, Ill., a cross-cultural marketing agency.

Rising Star Award: PMI Energy Solutions, Batavia, Ill., electrical construction, maintenance and technical services.

Go Green Energy Sustainability Award: Primera Engineering, Chicago, Ill., full-service engineering design and consulting.

Diverse Supplier Advocacy Award: MJ Electric LLC, Glen Ellyn, Ill., electrical construction services.

Deborah M. Sawyer Community Partnership Award: Stevenson Crane, Bolingbrook, Ill., crane rental and lifting equipment.

President's Award: Environmental Design International, Chicago, Ill., engineering services for public and private sector.

ComEd has injected more than $5.52 billion into its supply chain in Illinois since 2011, driven largely by the smart grid program created by the Energy Infrastructure Modernization Act (EIMA). The legislation established a broad range of performance metrics for utilities, including increased spending with diverse suppliers, by at least 15 percent over 10 years. Since 2012, ComEd has exceeded that goal with a total supply chain spend in Illinois under EIMA of $4 billion, including $1.6 billion total diverse supply chain spend. 

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Why aren’t more movies being made for Hispanic audiences? They make up 21% of U.S. moviegoers (compared to 14% for African Americans and Asians), and 56% of them go to movies six times a year or more.

One of Hollywood's most underserved audiences is also its most insatiable.

Over the weekend, Eugenio Derbez's How to Be a Latin Lover hit No. 2 at the box office with a better-than-expected $12.3 million, drawing an audience that was 89% Latino. The movie bested Emma Watson and Tom Hanks' critically derided newcomer The Circle... READ MORE AT USA TODAY

Cinco de Mayo in the U.S. is widely known as a celebration of Mexican-American culture filled with margaritas, tacos and tons of fun.

But before you prep for your upcoming fiesta or scramble to make some last-minute party plans, you may want to brush up on what the holiday is truly about.

Here are 5 things you probably didn’t know about Cinco de Mayo... READ MORE AT AJC

Networking events can be intimidating. Sometimes, it's overwhelming meeting so many new people at once. How do you network effectively? With my 3 tips you can handle your next networking meeting confidently.

I’ve got 3 tips to help you feel more comfortable at your next networking event.

1) Remember that networking is about building relationships. So figure out who will be at the event, decide on who you want to meet and do some research on them. Knowing a little bit about someone helps make for smoother conversations and makes you more at east

2) When you’re talking to someone you want to listen more than talk. Ask questions to learn about them. Showing an interest fosters a relationship. READ MORE NEWS 2

GlobalMindED Technology Track speaker Dr. Patty Lopez, a Computer Scientist of Latina descent, is a first generation to college student who got her Ph.D. in 1989 from New Mexico State University. Her accomplishment is extraordinary considering that Latinas hold the lowest percentage of graduate degrees when compared to all non-Hispanic women combined, with just 4% of Latinas having a graduate degree or higher. READ MORE AT HUFFINGTONPOST

If you're thinking about applying for a new job, there's no time like the present. According to Career Sidekick, spring months are some of the best to make a career move.

That's because employers are eager to lock in new hires before Memorial Day. After Memorial Day, summer vacations often make it difficult to efficiently move through the hiring process. READ MORE AT CNBC

Contact: Tiarra Earls
Email: tjayee@sbcglobal.net
Phone: 916-533-2874

For Immediate Release
May 1, 2017

Noted Author Elsie Guerrero Releases New Children’s Books to Promote Disability Awareness & Inclusion

Washington, D.C. – Children’s author and disability rights advocate Elsie Guerrero has released various books aimed at promoting disability awareness and inclusion. Her two newest titles, “Dancing Luna” and “I Am Unique,” takes on disability issues and translates them into easy-to-understand concepts to which children can relate. Elsie’s Hispanic heritage and background working with children with physical and mental disabilities (specifically children with autism) while witnessing the social difficulties these children often experience on the playground, have inspired her to promote inclusion by writing books specifically for children.

“My ultimate goal with writing children’s books is to spread awareness and promote inclusion,” she said. “I also believe that there are not enough books related to children with special needs or Latino issues. I thinks education in awareness at this level will greatly contribute to a culture of appreciation for those who are unique.”

Most of Elsie’s books focus on removing the negative stigma associated with having a disability while promoting the positive elements instead. In “I Am Unique,” a girl born with cerebral palsy is routinely ostracized and teased at school. She then learns to embrace her disability, thanks to a wonderful family support system.

Elsie says she never intended to be an author, and instead fell into the role.

“It was not a career goal or something I saw myself doing in my future, but after resigning my job working with autistic children to work at a law firm, I began to miss them,” she said.  “I would think about the children I used to work with and how much they made me laugh. There was never a dull moment working with autistic children.”

Elsie’s first published book, “How Emily & Eli Became Friends” is about the characteristics of a child who has autism.

You can find and purchase these titles online at Goodreads.com.

About Elsie Guerrero

Elsie Guerrero currently works as a Bilingual ABA Therapist with The Sparks Group, LLC where she routinely serves and represents Latino children with special needs. She holds a Bachelor's in Government from California State University, Sacramento, an Executive Master of Public Administration from Golden Gate University and Master of Public Affairs and Practical Politics from the University of San Francisco. She is also the founder of Advancing Latinas into Leadership (ALL), a mentorship program designed to help young Latinas with college preparedness, self-empowerment and professional development. 

We were told, if we focus on good grades, life will be great. But the ones who got good jobs and life partners were not necessarily school or college toppers. They said, clear this entrance exam and you will be successful, but others became millionaires. We continue to receive terrible advice throughout life. Well-meaning colleagues share bad tips drawn from limited personal perspectives and experiences. Read on for the 10 pieces of bad advice you should ignore..

1. Bad advice: Put your head down and work hard. Rewards will follow. READ MORE AT ECONOMIC TIMES

The rate of workplace death in the U.S. was unchanged in 2015 from the previous year, but there was an increase in the number of Latinos who died on the job, according to an annual analysis of federal data by the AFL-CIO.

The report found 4,836 workplace fatalities nationwide, a rate of 3.4 people per 100,000. Among Latinos, the rate was nearly 20 percent higher: 4.0 per 100,000 people.

Deaths among Latino workers increased from 804 in 2014 to 903 in 2015. Of those, 605 were foreign-born, which includes those with legal status and those in the country illegally. READ MORE AT KPCC

With commencement season just around the corner, it’s a good time for Ph.D. students to remember that you too will enter the workforce. To help you figure out your next step, a new interactive infographic allows you to explore the Ph.D. employment landscape over the past 20 years. The tool allows users to slice and dice the data based on various factors, including discipline, so tailor the information to you and find your fit.

Overall, by the time Ph.D. holders are 10 to 14 years out of grad school, just over 40% are working at 4-year universities. READ MORE AT SCIENCE MAGAZINE

My picks: HispanicPro celebration and Cinco de Mayo parade in Little Village

By Claudia Urbano, Chicago Urbanite

It has been a while since I last posted, but I am back to tell you where to celebrate the next big holiday in the Chicago. On May 5, Chicago and other cities in the United States celebrate Cinco de Mayo. This  is a holiday that celebrates Mexican culture. My recommendation is to network and socialize with a great organization that will be hosting a huge Mexican-American celebration in Chicago:  the Cinco de Mayo event put on by HispanicPro. If you haven’t heard of them, HispanicPro is the premier networking organization for Hispanic professionals in Illinois and the largest producer of networking events targeting the Hispanic professional community in Chicago.

I was invited to their April event for financial industry professionals and while enjoying some light food and beverages from one of the sponsors of the event, I had an interesting conversation with the president of the Chicago Symphony Latino Alliance (CSLA). CSLA is another great organization and they host a pre-concert networking event with special guest artists who give insights into the evening’s concert. After enjoying  the light food and beverages from CSLA’s networking event, you get to enjoy  a concert from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO). I also learned a lot about their membership (it’s free!) and some of the interesting events they offer.  If HispanicPro hadn’t invited me to their professional event, I would never have learned about this unique experience from CSLA (you can learn more about CSLA here).

After attending an event for myself, I can say HispanicPro functions are not only great for networking, professional tips ,and discovering unique opportunities, they’re also festive events to attend. For example, at the end of the event I attended, many of us took to the networking floor and turned it into a dance floor! This organisation definitely strikes the perfect balance between function and fun. So, if you are new to the Chicago area, looking to make new connections, or want to attend more enjoyable professional events go to the next HispanicPro function. If you want to find out more about them, visit their website at www.HispanicPro.com. It’s free to join, you get access to some of the coolest venues in Chicago and meet interesting people from different professions.  I am sure their upcoming CInco de Mayo party will be as fun as the one I attended.

A couple of days later, on May 7 at noon, head to the Cinco de Mayo Parade in Little Village, one of the signature Mexican neighborhoods in Chicago. It is one of the largest Cinco de Mayo celebration in the city. The parade goes from  Cermak Rd. and Damen Ave to Marshall Blvd.

Culture tip: did you know that Little Village retail strip is the second highest grossing shopping district in Chicago after the glamourous Magnificent Mile on Michigan Avenue? #LaRazaPower

Successful entrepreneurs know that networking is not a numbers game. It’s not about how many business cards you pass out or collect. It’s not about how many products you can sell or whom you can instantly impress, exploit or schmooze to get what you want.

Proper networking is a gradual process of making genuine connections with people and cultivating those relationships for the long term. READ MORE AT ENTREPRENEUR

This year, the AHAA Annual Conference will tackle the hottest topics in marketing today: technology, disruption, culture, creativity and content. From June 12 to 14 at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, AHAA will bring together experts and trendsetters to discuss how powerful U.S. Hispanics are to brands, how disruption and innovation is changing the way we consume content, and how marketers must adapt, ensuring efforts be free of stereotypes and inclusive of the multicultural community.

Top executives from The Coca-Cola Company, Denny's, SlingTV (DishLatino), Nielsen and Avocados From Mexico are slated to present, including Keith Reinhard, Chairman Emeritus of DDB Worldwide delivering the conference's closing keynote speech on "Creativity Matters." READ MORE AT PRNEWSWIRE

Hispanics in the U.S. are increasingly concerned about bad financial times ahead for their personal finances as well as the U.S. economy as a whole, according to a new national consumer sentiment index conducted by the Florida Atlantic University Business and Economics Polling Initiative (FAU BEPI) in the College of Business. READ MORE AT CPA PRACTICE ADVISOR

Spring feels like it’s finally arrived — but has your next job offer?

If you’ve been slinging resumes for the past few months with no success, take these simple steps now to bring some of that spring cleaning spirit to refresh your job search. If you plant the seeds of growth now and tend to your job search diligently, the right offers will bloom for you soon. READ MORE

Which websites do US Hispanics prefer? What activities do these sites allow them to do? Does gender play a role when it comes to choosing online media? Read on for the answers to these questions, drawn from comScore’s February 2016 ranking. READ MORE AT PORTADA

Multicultural marketing has created a marketing economy based on segmenting the population by ethnicity. While ethnicity segmentation has worked for the past several decades, as I pointed out in an earlier column, that foundation is starting to crack. Our industry is experiencing a paradigm shift. As we attempt to make sense of this existential crisis of marketing models, we should consider how we segment and why. READ MORE AT MEDIAPOST

People over 50 have a hard time finding a job. I know because I am one of them. Employers assume that we’re going to retire at any time and leave them in the lurch or that we don’t know how to use a computer. In one interview, an employer said to me, “You know you have to know how to use a computer,” even though my resumé states that I have computer skills.

Older workers not only bring job experience to the workplace but also life experience. READ MORE AT NEWSDAY

There is a big reason why marketers have spent the last five years obsessed with Millennials — the numbers. Millennials total 75.4 million and have overtaken Baby Boomers as America’s largest generation. The business community is also starting to pay attention to the next generation, Gen Z. This group of people under the age of 20 is already almost as large as Millennials. Millennials and Gen Z combine to make up more than 50% of the entire U.S. population. The future is now.

The youth movement is even more dramatic in the Hispanic market. READ MORE AT MEDIAPOST

It's been nearly 10 years since this country was hit with a recession, the likes of which we hadn't seen for decades. Businesses across the country were closing their doors and unemployment soared. This bleak situation was sharply magnified among Latinos, which reported a 66 percent drop in wealth and a 13 percent unemployment rate.

Yet during this bleak period, Latino entrepreneurs created new businesses at a startling rate. READ MORE AT CNBC